Effort of One
by Lukais
Summary: Sometime in the future, conflict between China and America has caused many European nations to start worrying about their own well being. When the world is on the verge of a third World War, Switzerland decides to abandon his state of neutrality.


**Hallo~! First I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this. Secondly, I'd like to forewarn you on a few things...**

**This is in the future, with different current events and such. So, everything in this is NOT related to current happenings, at all. This is a WWIII themed story, and will eventually also containing yaoi themes. This is my first ever Hetalia fic, too, so pleased don't destroy me! I'm not the best at editing, and I make errors. A lot. So...Yes! Please enjoy! Please tell me what you think! Have a nice reading time~ **

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The wind breezed past his ears softly, like a child whispering him a secret. He stared forward, body pressed firmly to the ground, his short hair swaying gently. The tall grass around him hid his slender body, coming just above his ears. He was unblinking, he breathed in with the wind, exhaling only when he could feel it blow against his cheeks. His eyes, set so intently on a faraway target, lowered slightly as the flare of the sun intensified as it began to set. The boy curled a precise finger around the trigger of a gun. Without a trace of burden on his face, the boy peered through the telescope atop the gun, the cold metal touched his skin, but he didn't shiver.

The bullet shrieked through the air. A man, far off in the distance, collapsed. The men around him ran to his aid, but they were too late. At last, the boy blinked, and pushed himself to his feet. He lifted his weapon up, carefully placing it over his shoulder. Turning his back, he stopped and hesitated, tightening a fist at his side. He took in a sharp breath, grimaced as he shook his head quickly, and hurried away.

Inside an exuberant mansion, a young girl ran briskly. Outside it was dark, and her older brother hadn't returned from a late night...Well, she didn't know why he'd left. He'd just up and gone. She stopped at a window and glanced out, scanning the grounds for any signs of her brother. She squinted her eyes, frowned, and continued to the next window. He'd missed dinner...She knew her brother would never forget to tell her if he'd be gone for dinner, but he hadn't said anything.

The girl gasped faintly as she saw someone moving a ways off. Her frown disappeared and she dashed down the hallway again, with a mix of happiness and worry flushing her face, and she exited the house.

"Brother! You were out so late, I worried something happened!" she called, halting and brushing off her dress, hoping she hadn't gotten something on it. She wanted to look presentable for her brother, it'd be embarrassing if he thought she was a slob...But her brother hadn't replied. The girl, hesitant, took a few steps forward, trying to get a better glance at the man who approached her...With a shocked glance, she realized it wasn't her brother at all.

Hearing a faint clink of metal, the man approaching the mansion stopped, and lifted his arms stiffly.

"Go inside, Lili," the girl heard her brother, and felt a jolt of fright. Something was wrong, and she knew it. Without muttering anything, she turned and hurried back inside.

The girl brushed a strand of short hair out of her eyes, leaning against the door as she closed it. The click as the door shut sent a chill down her spine. She closed her green eyes, but she didn't know why she'd been scared...The tone of her brother's voice had been off...What was wrong? She didn't dare ask him, for fear of...No, she didn't even know what stopped her from asking him what was wrong. Clutching the cuff of her sleeve, the girl bit her lip and slowly walked down to the living room. She picked up an empty cup from the table that she'd left when she'd gone to watch for her brother. She turned it around, glancing at the paint, tracing the cracks in it's paint. They were like veins. She felt as if the blood within her veins had frozen, and yet still pulsed through her rapidly.

He hadn't sounded angry, but very calm. It wasn't how he usually spoke to her, not even when he was defending her. It was as if he was detached from her...It hadn't been her brother that had told her to go inside. It had been a stranger. The girl took a deep breath and steadied herself, then stood back up firmly. Still clutching the small tea cup, she headed back to the door. When she reached it, a loud bang made her jump and the cup slipped through her fingers. It shattered against the ground, and she took a step back. The door crashed open, her brother ran in with a furious expression. Behind him, he grasped the wrist of a man that his sister has mistaken for him, the man ran behind him.

"Liechtenstein! Come, now!" her brother yelled, grabbing her wrist with his other hand. Liechtenstein cried out when he forced her to run faster down the hall. She looked up at the dark haired man also behind her brother. He glanced down at her for a moment, then back forward, his face contorted in pain.

Liechtenstein didn't dare speak a word, the previous courage she'd built up to ask her brother what'd happened had vanished. Tears began to brim her eyes, but she didn't know why. She tried to yell out at her brother, but her voice was caught in her throat. Soon, he stopped and threw open a door, shoving her and the man inside, slamming the door behind him.

"Who was it?" he demanded, not pausing to look at the two he'd thrown on the floor as he rushed over to a phone.

"I don't know," the man said, putting a hand over his forehead. It was then Liechtenstein saw blood dripping down his arm, his sleeve was torn and ragged, ending at his elbow, where his forearm had a deep gash running through it. Dark, clotting blood had left trails all the way to his hand.

"R...Roderich..." Liechtenstein gasped, covering her mouth. Her brother had dialed a number into the phone, and was now speaking rapidly into the receiver.

"No, we don't!" her brother said, "He hasn't contacted them yet-"

"Give me the phone, Switzerland," the man stood up and walked over to the boy, taking the phone from his hand. "I'm sorry, Ludwig, I need to reach my boss," there was a pause. "I haven't spoken to him yet. Alright, good bye," Austria hung the phone up and picked it up again, dialing a number quickly, and taking a deep breath. Liechtenstein tuned out of his conversation as Switzerland came up next to her and helped her to her feet.

"Lili." he said, running a hand through her hair, straightening it. "Things haven't been going very well in the world right now. But I'm making it right. For now, do me a favour, and don't ask questions..." his voice was strained. Briskly, he turned around and stood behind Austria, who was quietly speaking with his boss.

Liechtenstein stared at her brother, who looked utterly frightened. She wanted to ask him what'd happened, but...She knew she couldn't. Liechtenstein knew about the current unrest in the world, especially between America and China. The two had so much military force, and with the growing strife, she knew it was only a matter of time before something erupted...Was her brother trying to intervene?

A chill ran down Liechtenstein's back. Her brother...There was no way he alone could face America, or China, right? He'd be destroyed...


End file.
